The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site

Propane Tank Gotcha, Take Two

I wrote the first tank gotcha post back in 2011 when we tried to fill our aluminum propane tanks, only to be told that they needed re-certification as they were over 10 years old. Since at the time I couldn’t find anyone to do the re-certification, we had to buy new tanks.

Imagine my dismay when I found that the replacement tanks we got were already long dated—by 6, 5 and 4 years—meaning we only had 4 years before the oldest “new” tank would need re-certification.

Well, that day arrived this spring and so I once again began looking for a place to get the tanks re-certified. Which wasn’t really all that hard—I just went to a company that specializes in propane services. (Why didn’t I think of that last time?)

Anyway, it turns out that finding a recertification guy (RG) is actually the easy part. The hard part is that getting the bronze valve out of the aluminum tank is, at best, a 50-50 proposition, with stripping the threads, thereby rendering the tank useless, the negative outcome. And replacing the valve is exactly what is required by law, at least in Canada, to get a tank re-certified.

So what happened, you ask? Yup, you got it, the threads stripped and we are now on the hook for a new tank after only 4 years of use from the old “new” one. Which is not even slightly financially or environmentally funny or friendly. We asked RG if he could source it but, sadly, his suppliers don’t carry the type we need (sigh).

Now, interestingly, RG told us that manufacturers actually pre-date stamp the tanks by 6 months to ensure that the tanks aren’t long dated before they reach the buyer. And, if they are long dated, they are usually sold at a discount. Which makes me wonder how we got a tank that was already 6 years old? It also makes me wonder why we were charged full price? Do you think that maybe marine suppliers are getting the tanks at a discount because they are long dated and selling them on to ignorant mariners for the full price?

Whatever the answer to that last question, we have no choice but to source these tanks through a marine supplier; however, this time, older and wiser, we are going to have a chat about date stamps before we order the tanks—and then refuse to accept them if they are long dated.

We suggest you do the same.

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ChrisW

Hi,

There is nothing intrinsically “marine” about an Al propane tank. Your best bet for getting a long life tank is by purchasing outside the high priced and dwindling marine supply channels. The RV supply world can generally do better price wise by 15% less here in the States. The other approach is to call a builder friend and ask them to order the tank OEM, — then really prepared to be shocked about markup.

Trying to get the valve out is 98% a lost cause. When in college, I used to repurpose salvaged tanks into hibachis and small lidded grills to cover my incidental expenses. The threads strip because the Al and bronze cold weld (galling) during the threading process and corrosion seals the deal in just a few months. Thermal cycling the threads is a no-starter as it weakens the Al making the tank uncertifiable.

John Harries

Hi Chris,

Good idea, we will try an RV supply place next time.

Last time we were in the last days before heading off on a long and challenging voyage and so just added the tanks to an order for a lot of other stuff from a marine supplier.

The key issue to note though is that we got long dated tanks from two different sources, one in the USA and one in Canada, so this does seem to be a marine industry wide problem, which is why Phyllis wrote the above post: as a warning to other cruisers, many of whom will be in a strange place with no car and on deadline when they find that their tank has expired—such is voyaging.

Bill Wakefield

Hi John,

After years of similar frustrations [mostly with finding what we need when we need it…] we switched to the [latest generation] of composite tanks by Viking. [I don’t know if you can acquire/use them in Canada…]
http://www.vikingcylinders.com/support/faq/

They weigh less than aluminum, have a 15 year life, and are translucent so you can see the liquid content.

The one gotcha I have yet to experience is they must be ‘visually’ inspected every 5 yrs by a ‘qualified’ source [and no valve replacement required.] Being in the vicinity of an authorized ‘Requalifier’ when the time comes may be an issue in itself…

So far so good, however…

Best wishes finding your ideal solution.

John Harries

Hi Bill,

Good idea, we will look at that next time.

Having said that, the thing that worries me is that the staff at propane filling stations are not generally, shall we say, the most well informed people on the planet. This is particularly true in remote places.

I have even had them tell me that aluminium tanks are not safe or legal so I worry about the potential reaction to a see through composite tank.

Also, I suspect in many places (perhaps including Canada) the 15 year no valve replacement specification will not be respected by the filling station.

Denis Bone

In the past I have used a method of thread replacement in aluminium called a ‘Helicoil’. The remains of the original thread is drilled out and the hole tapped to take a stainless steel thread insert that replaces the original thread. I have not checked the current availability of Helicoils and I don’t know the size you require but they may be a more economical option than replacing the whole tank. I have used Helicoils for the replacement of stripped threads in aluminium cylinder heads, much higher pressures than propane.
Denis

John Harries

Hi Dennis,

Good idea, I’m sure that would work (As aluminium boat owners, we have been using Helicoils for years.)

But the key issue here is that this is not a DIY solvable issue. At least here in Canada the required valve replacement must, by law, be done by a certified professional gas technician and I don’t think these guys are going to have a lot of interest in fussing around with Helicoils.

Sid Shaw

John,
I, also, switched from Al to a composite tank. The first one, naturally, was from the manufacturer that ended up losing its ICC certification and, as a result, I could not get it refilled. I then bought another 20# capacity tank on the Internet for under $90. It was then only a small battle to convince the propane outlet that this was not the brand that had been recalled, in order to get it filled.
Sid